Forgotten
by Littlemixup
Summary: True love, blind trust, lost memories. After Ladybug tries to protect Chat Noir, will he be able to help her get her memories back, including her ones of him? With so many Ladynoir moments, find out if Ladybug trusts Chat Noir enough to save her life again, even if she doesn't know who he is.
1. Wax Flowers of Lasting Love

Ah.

This feeling would never get old.

Ladybug soared over the rooftops of Paris, tall Parisian houses and clusters of clouds rushing by like she was staring out the window of a moving vehicle. Being Ladybug made her feel so strong and in control, which was an oddly refreshing break after her clumsy, shy routine as Marinette.

"Over there M'lady?" Chat Noir suggested, pointing one of his black-gloved fingers over to a nearby rooftop.

Ladybug emerged from her thoughts and looked at her companion, nodding. The two heroes leapt over a building with ease and landed on a high-up, panelled rooftop above all of Paris. That was another thing Ladybug loved about being a superhero; the incredible views. Just being able to see Paris in a way most others could not was something special in itself.

Houses stooped below her, resembling small figurines on a toyshop shelf. The Eiffel Tower provided a picturesque backdrop against the clouds, which had been streaked with flecks of yellow as the sun divided up its golden rays amongst them, weary after its long day and wanting nothing more than to step down from the sky and surrender to the moon. Ladybug sighed. Closed her eyes. Breathed in, breathed out. Calm.

"What is it?"

Chat Noir roused Ladybug from her thoughts once more and she turned to face him. Sat down on the edge of the roof, Chat Noir swung his legs daringly over the ledge and looked at his lady. Ladybug sighed and perched herself next to him, staring into the sky.

"That was one of the hardest akumas we've ever faced. We only just saved them. Hawkmoth's powers are getting stronger, and so is he," Ladybug confessed. She paused, hesitating, "what if... what if, until now, all of this has just been beginner's luck, and we can't win against Hawkmoth? What if one day, we're out of luck? If we fail, we let all of Paris down, and it'd be our fault."

Ladybug shifted her gaze to her lap and wrung her hands nervously. She couldn't bring herself to meet Chat Noir's eye, because as much as she came across as a strong superheroine, deep down fear ate away at her, worry gnawing at her suit until it reduced her back to scared, nervous Marinette who made hasty promises she could never keep, who couldn't let anyone down. Deep down, Ladybug was scared of being caught off guard, scared of failing everyone. Her country, her loved ones, Chat Noir. Saying it out loud, made all of her worries feel more real.

Chat Noir placed his hand on Ladybug's arm and she moved her head in his direction, still not looking him in the eye.

"We can win, and in the end we will. We're Ladybug and Chat Noir. As long as you have me by your side, as long as we work together, we'll beat Hawkmoth, I know we will. Us against the world, like it's always been," he soothed, smiling warmly.

Chat Noir put all his faith in Ladybug, as he hoped she did in him. He trusted Ladybug to always come through, and he thought it a shame that she didn't see so herself. Ladybug brought herself to look at Chat Noir and smiled tentatively.

"You're right. Thanks Chat. I think that there's been so many people akumatized lately it's got me panicked. This is turning out to be such a stressful job!"

"Tell me about it!" Chat Noir replied.

Both started to laugh, glad to relax out of the way of any trouble.

Chat Noir fumbled around and unzipped the pocket sewn into his super suit, pulling out a delicate white flower. Clearing his throat nervously, he got Ladybug's attention.

"This is for you M'lady," he said, trying to keep his nervous voice steady, "it's a wax flower. It symbolizes lasting love. I thought of you when I saw it."

Ladybug instantly felt sick to her stomach, not because she hated anything Chat Noir had said or done, but because every time this happened, she turned him down. After all, he knew her heart belonged to someone else, as she had told him every time he serenaded her. Guilt flooded her stomach, plunging her insides to ice.

"Look, Chat Noir, it's really sweet but... you know I love someone else. I don't want to turn you down and you know that I value your friendship more than anything, but you can't keep asking me like this. I feel so bad," she explained, biting her lip.

"So, what, I'm just supposed to ignore my feelings for you just because you _feel bad_? It's not how it works. Feelings don't just go Ladybug," Chat Noir snapped, his sadness turning to anger a lot sooner than he'd expected. Almost giving a bitter laugh in anger at his bad luck, Chat Noir stood up and dropped the flower in his hand, letting it sink slowly to the floor. Ladybug turned to face him.

"Believe me, I know. But what do you want me to do? Chat, I can't keep having this conversation with you. I never know whether or not you're being serious."

Chat Noir's green eyes narrowed coldly and he strode to the edge of the roof, baton clutched in his hand.

"I may be a joke to you Ladybug but take this seriously: every time we fight together, I risk my life for you, which you never do for me. And you know why? Because I trust that you will save me and everyone else. Clearly, you don't feel the same," he lashed.

Ladybug's eyes widened, caught off-guard by Chat's sharp tone.

"You don't know that. I don't ask you to save me after all, it's because we're a team. If you don't have to, why do you even bother?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Chat Noir took a steady breath before replying, trying too hard to block out too many emotions and Ladybug could tell that from his face. When he eventually found the voice to speak, it came out as barely a whisper.

"Why? Because I'm in love with you, and it's killing me."

Chat Noir extended his stick and zipped off over the buildings into the distance, leaving Ladybug stranded on her own in the sunset, completely confused and hurt.


	2. What about trying?

**Hey everyone! I'm not sure if anyone is even reading right now because this is my first fanfiction but if you are here thank you so much for reading I've loved writing this and hopefully you love reading it. Enjoy!**

Ladybug was confused.

No, she was more than that. Ladybug was baffled.

As it was late, Ladybug left the roof and zipped back to her house, landing on the balcony and jumping through the hatch where she detransformed. Tikki burst from her earrings and landed on the edge of Marinette's bed with a soft patter.

"What's the matter Marinette?" Tikki asked worriedly. She flew over to where Marinette was sat at her desk, head in her hands.

"Chat Noir was really upset Tikki. You should have seen his face. It was like after every time I've rejected him, this time finally broke him. I just- I don't know what to do," Marinette whispered.

It was true. Marinette knew that she hurt Chat Noir when he tried to romance her, but she never imagined what it really did to him.

Until now.

Sadness flooded over her, drowning her thoughts. Guilt choked her senses, blowing up inside her chest like a balloon of emotions. Marinette hugged her arms, the cold draft from her open trapdoor nipping and chilling her skin as it stole into the room. Tikki frowned sympathetically at her friend. She was always the one who gave Marinette advice, and would tell her the truth, however bad it was.

"I know you're sad Marinette. Chat Noir hopefully knows that you don't want to hurt him but think about it from his point of view. Really, you save everyone, but you never do save Chat Noir directly," Tikki pointed out, big blue eyes wide, "like when you fought Timebreaker, or Dark Cupid, or Syren, or Sandboy. He sacrificed himself to save you. I'm not saying I'm on his side Marinette, but maybe you should show him how much you care, even if you still don't love him in return."

Marinette raised her eyes to look at Tikki. Maybe she was right. Maybe Marinette should show Chat Noir how much he meant to her. Maybe, maybe she did care for him a tiny bit. After all, he'd always been a consistent friend to her, being there for her when Adrien had got her down. Smiling, Marinette rose up from her chair and changed into her pyjamas before climbing into bed.

"You're right Tikki, I'll show him next time I see him. You give the best advice. Goodnight!" she said brightly, yawing sleepily and turning off her light.

Once Marinette was sound asleep, Tikki flew up to Marinette's window and looked out into Paris. She turned her head to where her owner was lying fast asleep and sighed at her sorrowfully.


	3. See you on the battlefield

The next day, Marinette and Adrien were both in class, listening to another one of Ms. Mendeleiev's endless lessons when an ear-splitting crash sounded from outside.

"AKUMA!"

"LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR! Hand over your Miraculous before all of Paris forgets its true identity!"

Muffled shouts from outside sounded, sending the class into a panicked frenzy.

"Ok class! Stay calm and make your way home right now! Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here to save us soon, I hope," Ms Mendeleiev shouted, ushering the students out of the class.

Slipping away from everyone else, Marinette and Adrien both found separate places where they could transform unnoticed and made their way to the scene.

Landing on the top of a building next to Chat Noir, Ladybug turned to her partner with a glint of determination in her eyes.

He didn't look at her.

Undeterred, Ladybug continued with her plan.

"Ok, so where do you think the akuma is Chat?"

Chat Noir fixed Ladybug with an icy glare and stood up straight.

"I'm not sure. Aren't you more than capable of figuring it out yourself? Since you don't need to be saved, surely you don't need someone like me getting in your way," Chat Noir huffed, his voice angrier then he'd anticipated.

He had a perfectly good reason to be angry at Ladybug anyway; she'd really hurt him last night. Turning away to survey the scene, Chat Noir listened as Ladybug sought a reply.

"Chat Noir, you're not still angry about last night, are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Maybe I am, what's it to you?" he replied angrily.

"Look, we can continue this later. Do you know what he does yet? I can't seem to figure it out," Ladybug pressed on, knowing that she would have to push away her personal drama and focus on saving this akuma victim. Squinting at villain, who was shooting at civilians, Ladybug's brow furrowed.

"We're going to have to watch him first to find out what he can do," she explained, looking to Chat Noir for a reply.

Nothing.

"Well, you go your way, and I'll go mine. I'm going to take him on," Chat Noir stated, jumping off the roof and running in the direction of the villain.

From her position on the building, Ladybug watched Chat Noir's black suit weave in and out of the houses. Ladybug gave an exasperated sigh.

Honestly.

Chat Noir could be so stubborn at times.

"I am Rememberwrath, and no one will ever forget me again!" the villain shouted, spreading his arms wide. Hopefully this would bring Ladybug and Chat Noir to him.

As if on cue, Chat Noir came out from his hiding place and leant on his stick nonchalantly.

"What did you say sorry?" Chat Noir asked mischievously, the devilish glint returning to his green eyes, "I did know, but I don't recall."

Rememberwrath seethed with rage and leapt from the top of the monument, twisting and turning in mid-air. Landing in front of Chat Noir with a thud, they glared at one another, ready for a fight.

"How dare you mock me. Don't worry, I'll remember to collect your Miraculous when I'm done with you," Rememberwrath spat.

Without warning, he charged forward, aiming kicks and swinging at Chat Noir, who noticed that he was extremely agile, and that without his powers he would have been a dancer? A boxer maybe?

Rememberwrath launched a powerful punch at Chat Noir's stomach, catching him off guard and sending him flying backwards into the side of a car.

Yep, definitely a boxer, thought Chat Noir.

Springing back onto his feet, Chat Noir rushed at his rival but Rememberwrath was quick and swung Chat Noir into a one of the legs of the Eiffel Tower. Chat Noir struggled to ignore the pain as he writhed on the ground. It became suddenly apparent to him that he was missing his partner.

Actually, where was Ladybug?

**Sorry if you're finding this a bit boring so far, but I've needed to do these chapters so that I can set up what's about to happen. I will try to publish everything that I've already done so that I can get up to the good bit. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	4. Sacrifice

With or without Chat Noir's help, Ladybug knew she would have to take care of this by herself. As quietly as she could, Ladybug ran over the rooftops, occasionally stopping to duck behind a chimney to stop herself from being seen. Now that she was closer to the villain, she could see him clearly.

The villain was a tall man, now wearing a pale grey bodysuit, making his body look like mist. Around his waist was a wide black belt emblazoned with a white question mark. Even from her distance Ladybug noticed how terrifying his face was. It was almost completely blank, like the features had been scrubbed off, but then Ladybug noticed that a silver mist swirled around his face, it was darker around where his mouth should be, and every time he spoke it moved. Although his face was almost featureless, Rememberwrath had piercing dark grey eyes with bright white pupils that darted around everywhere, constantly scanning the houses for any sign of Paris' two heroes. At his high vantage point from the top if the Eiffel Tower, he would be able to see all of Paris clearly; however, he failed to see Chat Noir's golden-blonde hair poking out from behind an abandoned car next to the tower.

Ladybug watched from behind a roof of a house as Chat Noir fought the villain. He seemed to be doing quite well.

Until he wasn't.

Ladybug closed her eyes as Chat Noir was slammed against the Eiffel Tower with such force Ladybug felt for him. She was well within earshot now and was looking about for any sign of what this new villain could do. Apparently, he could fight well. Really well.

Then, Ladybug saw some of the civilians who had been hit earlier. They were wandering around across Paris with no sense of direction, just going in circles, muttering to themselves. Ladybug tried to put the pieces together. What was this villain's power?

And then she realised.

This victim was dangerous.

And she had to warn Chat before it was too late.

Chat Noir struggled on the floor with his back to Rememberwrath, trying to get up. Despite being in a most undignified and weak position, he knew he need to get straight back up, if nothing else just to seem like he was doing ok if Ladybug happened to be watching. He wanted to show her that he didn't need her to be a good superhero.

Meanwhile, Ladybug was even closer to the scene, waiting for the right moment to get close to Chat Noir and explain to him what was going on. Before she could do anything, she noticed that Rememberwrath was ready to shoot Chat Noir, a ball of fog in one al the palms of his hands. It crackled and hissed, fizzing dangerously. Grey eyes glinting with a malevolent, hungry look, the corner of his mouth curled into a sick, twisted grin.

He grunted with effort, launching the ball of mist with force at Chat Noir. Still with his back to the enemy, Chat Noir struggled back to his feet, head screaming in a dizzy agony. Clutching his head and gulping in air, Chat spoke to himself, his mind powering onwards, driving him forward.

Don't stop.

Don't fall.

Don't get beaten.

Don't stop.

Don't fall.

Don't get beaten.

Don't –

"STOP!" Ladybug screamed, voice piercing the air. Chat Noir had never heard her scream with such intensity before. Whipping his head around to see if his partner was ok, Chat Noir stopped. He fell to his knees.

He'd lost.

Ladybug had charged at Chat Noir, leaping into the air as the blast of fog was just centimetres away from him. Throwing herself in its path, she braced herself as it hit her instead, injecting itself into her veins, seeping through her suit, crushing her strength so she couldn't stand.

2 knees buckled.

1 thud on the floor.

Footsteps, so many footsteps.

"LADYBUG!"

In a second, Chat Noir was at her side, leaning worriedly over her.

"Oh well, I guess Ladybug did remember to show up after all. Enjoy your last few seconds with her kitty, I've got some more terrorising to do," Rememberwrath laughed bitterly before jumping over the buildings and out of sight.

None of that mattered now.

"Ladybug?" Chat Noir whispered, his voice breaking.


	5. Don't leave now

No.

No no no.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

No.

"Ladybug!" Chat's voice was louder now, trying to wake up his lady.

Silence.

Closing his eyes and bowing his head, Chat Noir squeezed his eyes tight, trying to block out the pain, the sadness, the regret, the guilt, too many too many too many emotions. This was all his fault. It was.

A gasp.

Ladybug's chest rose suddenly, making Chat Noir jump as she inhaled. Thirsty, drinking in gulps of oxygen. Her bluebell eyes flew open, looking around, panicked, before settling on Chat Noir, who had forced himself to look at her.

"C-Chat," she said, smiling weakly. Using all of her strength, she gingerly reached out her hand and cupped her kitty's face, staring into his teary green eyes, "I'm sorry. For everything."

Denial. Refusal. This couldn't happen. Chat Noir shook his head, as if furious that Ladybug would leave him, biting back the urge to sob.

"No! No, Ladybug please I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Any of it. Don't go. You can't- you have to stay with me," he croaked, telling her she wasn't allowed to leave. Hoping so badly that if he held her hand, she wouldn't go. She couldn't go.

Ladybug smiled fondly, light headed and shivering. A tingling sensation had begun to spread slowly up her body, making her feel as light as air. Like she could just catch a balloon filled with helium and it would take her, floating up amongst the golden clouds.

It was quite relaxing, dying. She'd do it more often if it wasn't so... permanent.

A thought stirred her from her dizzy ramblings. She wasn't going to die. But Chat Noir didn't know that. He thought- he thought she was going to die. Raking through handfuls and pocketfuls of thoughts and words, Ladybug closed her eyes as she tried to concentrate her energy on forming a sentence.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be here, just not remembering,"

What? Chat frowned as he furiously wiped at his eyes. What on earth was she talking about? Trying to put the pieces together before he was too late, his eyes searched around desperately for an inkling of what she meant. Noticing the gormless, dazed civilians, he too realised.

Just as he relaxed, just as he was beginning to think everything was going to be ok, a new worry entered his mind. Like a damn bursting, floods of new thoughts gushed into his head.

"So ... you'll forget who I am. You won't know me and think I don't exist. No, I can't lose you like this," he realised out loud.

Ladybug faded in and out of consciousness, a feint crackling sound blared through her ears, but her partner's words cut through them. She had to tell him. Now, before she wouldn't know anymore. She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"Chat, I'll always know you, whether I know it or not. In here," she lifted their entwined hands to her heart. Its feint beating calmed him, "I could never forget you."

Chat closed his eyes and a silent tear slipped down his face. How, even in her final moments of knowing him, was she still the strong one? She still put him back together, even though she was slowly slipping away from him. Why, how, was he such a bad partner to her?

_No, focus on now,_ he thought. In a whispered promise he shook questions from his head.

"I will never forget you Ladybug. Ever," he breathed, tears cascading down his face.

Vision blurring, mind slurring, she reached a hand up to his face and wiped away his tears. It killed her to see him like this, crying over her. The buzzing in her ears started to roar, her vision clouding and the scene in front of her started to dissolve.

"NO! Don't go! You can't go. I need you," Chat Noir wept.

"It's ok. Don't be scared Chat. You'll find a way because..."

Ladybug's eyes fluttered closed.

"No, no!" Chat screamed.

"... because I trust you," Ladybug finished, eyes half opening. It was taking all of her strength, but she would try to stay conscious. Her friend needed her. She would fight this, "more than anything. I'm just... sorry it took me all of this t-to show you. I never, never got to say thank you f-for all of this."

Taking one last breath, she was ready to give in to her senses.

Darkness enveloped her thoughts and senses, crushed her energy until she was limp in his arms, lost in a sea of black. One word echoed in her mind as she lost control.

"LADYBUG!"


	6. Ready for it?

**This was everything that I'd already written before joining this site, so the updates from here might be a bit slower, but since it's the holidays I'll still be able to write quite often. Thank you so much to 'andreemartin' who commented. Thank you for your support! Also hope you are enjoying the story so far :)**

What would he do now? Chat Noir began to panic, resting Ladybug on the floor and standing up. Did he stay with Ladybug, did he go after Rememberwrath? This was exactly the situation that he would depend on her for. She would never let her emotions get in the way. She was too strong. Chat Noir however …he was still in shock and disbelief, but now he felt something else too.

Anger.

Pure rage rushed through him. It burned in his veins, electrifying his blood, fuelling his body. Now he was ready for a fight. Overwhelmed by adrenaline, Chat Noir stopped and reprimanded himself. He needed to slow down. Whenever this happened, he was always reckless, but he couldn't help it.

This villain would regret what he'd done.

He'd make sure of that.

He leant down and placed a kiss on Ladybug's head.

"Wait there, M'lady. I'll come back I promise," he whispered to her, hoping she could hear him. She didn't move. Her partner sighed, getting to his feet.

Chat proceeded to get out his baton and extend it so that he shot up to the top of the Eiffel tower. He had to work out where his enemy was, not just leap head first into fighting him. This is what Ladybug would do.

A moment later, he had spotted the villain. He was standing in the middle of the Pont des Arts bridge, firing balls of mist at passers-by. Chat Noir narrowed his eyes determinedly.

He jumped from his position, spinning this stick above his head to help him land more slowly. When his boots touched the floor, he started to run in the direction of Rememberwrath. As he ran his mind was working, trying to figure out a plan. Maybe if he lured him back over here where most of the civilians had already been hit then less people would get hurt. Plus, that way he could watch over Ladybug in case she woke up.

The world blurred around him as he sprinted towards his goal, feet pattering against the paths. He had to succeed and bring Ladybug back. He just had to. If she never woke up, they would've left everything on a bad note. And he couldn't have that.

"Hey, Rememberwrath!" he shouted, his voice echoing off buildings. It caught the villain's attention as he spun around, fixing his eyes on the superhero. All around them, civilians ran for cover, scattering in every direction. Chat Noir surveyed the chaos, making him ever more determined.

"Well well, Chat Noir. Looking more shaken without your little bug friend, aren't you?" he laughed, sharp eyes teasing him, playing with him, taunting him with every word.

Chat Noir glared back.

"You'll pay for that. Come on, try to take my Miraculous, but touch Ladybug and see what happens," he spat, voice on edge as he adopted a fighting stance.

Rememberwrath unleashed a throaty laugh, eyes unblinking and devoid of emotion.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Yes," Chat Noir stated, bracing himself to run.

Around them, the sky had begun to darken, black clouds choking the blue and stealing away with the sun. It was going to pour down soon, and Chat hoped this fight would be over before it did.

Rememberwrath squared up to Chat Noir, stretching his arms. He was clearly ready for a fight. But before either of them could do anything, the purple outline of a butterfly flickered over the villain's eyes. He looked up, past Chat Noir, as if he was suddenly possessed.

"The Miraculous, of course, I won't forget," Rememberwrath droned.

"Hawkmoth," Chat Noir whispered to himself. So, this was how Hawkmoth contacted his victims. At least this would buy him some time. No doubt Hawkmoth was instructing Rememberwrath to take his Miraculous, so Chat Noir took the opportunity and fled back to the base of the Eiffel Tower. When he saw Rememberwrath hadn't followed, he knew he must be looking for him.

Good, he had time.

Ladybug was still in the same position as before, lifeless on the path. It pained Chat to see her like this, but he ran over to her protectively. Kneeling by her side, he gently reached out a hand and felt her chest to see if he could hear a heartbeat.

Just a sign that she was alive. A sign that a part of her was still there, working, tapping on her chest as a signal to him she'd be ok. As a sign she was still fighting, even though he couldn't see it. Feeling a timid beating, he smiled. Of course. Ladybug was amazing, the strongest girl she knew. And he could never stop loving her for that.

He rose to his feet once more and began to prepare himself for the arrival of his enemy. If he hid himself somewhere, when Rememberwrath saw Ladybug and tried to take her Miraculous, he would have to element of surprise and could ambush him that way. It was fool proof. There was absolutely nothing that could stop this from working.

Chat Noir was ready to go when a movement caught his attention.

His heart stopped.

His mind stopped.

Time stopped.

Ladybug had opened her eyes.


	7. Don't forget to wake up

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, this chapter took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I think I can see this story ending in about two chapters, but I've also got another idea for another fanfiction waiting. In MLB news, you can find the first few episodes of season 3 on youtube if you're interested. Happy reading!**

Never mind Rememberwrath. Everything else could wait.

With a gasp, Chat Noir rushed over to his lady's side. Ladybug had slowly sat up and was holding her head, looking frantically around.

"Ladybug! Thank goodness you're ok!" he sighed, grinning at her.

But the look Ladybug returned puzzled Chat Noir greatly. There was no happiness, no understanding ...no recognition. Nothing. Instead, he watched as her cobalt blue eyes search his face, trying to piece everything together.

"Ladybug?" he repeated carefully, touching his partners hand. She did know he was speaking to her, didn't she?

"Who- who is Ladybug?" she asked, voice shaking. Chat saw fear and confusion in her eyes, wanting desperately to understand. But he knew he needed to see what was going on first.

"You are, M'lady. Don't you remember?"

Ladybug faltered. What was this boy talking about? Who was this Ladybug? What was she doing here? Why was he dressed in a... cat suit?

_One thing at a time Marinette,_ she thought.

"No, I – I'm sorry. I don't know where I am or how I got here or-" Ladybug stopped. A tear trickled down her face. Chat waited, hand still on hers, but when she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper.

"I don't remember you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you must think I'm so awful but I'm just Ma-" she sobbed, but before she could finish Chat put his hand over her mouth, sensing what she was about to say.

"No, no. It's ok, I get it. Clearly this spell has made you forget being Ladybug, but you still remember being you. That's better than nothing. But listen to me," he said, moving her chin so she would look him in the eye. Blue eyes met startling green and Ladybug took in a sharp breath.

"No matter what, you can't tell me your name ok? Not until you're thinking straight again. I know Ladybug wouldn't want me to know who you are, so I'll honour that. I'm Chat Noir," he said, giving his partner a reassuring smile and holding out his hand.

Ladybug looked unsure at first. Still with no memory of what the boy was talking about, she was hesitant. But there was something about him she knew, like a memory from a dream. It was those eyes. Those emerald green eyes, enticing her, telling her that she could trust him. They were so familiar and yet distant, like she was looking at things from underwater; so clear and yet, distorted. She shook his hand gently, returning his smile.

A scream shot through the air, jolting both Chat Noir and Ladybug from their moment.

_Right, the akuma, _thought Chat Noir. He sprung to his feet and ran to his hiding place behind some bushes, gesturing for Ladybug to follow him. Despite not knowing what was going on, she did as she was told.

"What's going on?" she asked curiously, trying to look up from the bush. Chat Noir grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Careful! He'll see you," he warned.

"Who will?"

Chat Noir knew he didn't have much time at all until Rememberwrath arrived, so he would have to quickly explain.

"You don't remember, but you and I were chosen to become superheroes and protect Paris from someone who wants to control destruction and creation- Hawkmoth. Anyone in Paris who feels negative emotions, he will akumatize them and they become a villain who tries to take our miraculous," he explained.

Ladybug was extremely bemused. Superheroes? This was stupid. But Chat Noir seemed to be taking it very seriously, so she thought that she should too.

"My miraculous?"

"Your earrings. No matter what happens now, you need to stop him from taking them at all costs. The same goes for me and my ring."

Ladybug laughed.

"Ok then, easy. Where is this 'supervillain'?" she asked sceptically.

When Chat didn't reply, she turned to look at him and followed his gaze to where Rememberwrath had turned the corner. As he passed, he hit people who were trying to escape. Chat narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Wait here," he said, his voice lowering aggressively.

Before Ladybug could question him further, he leapt out from their hiding place and tackled Rememberwrath. They struggled on the floor, swinging for the other one viciously. From her hiding place, Ladybug watched the battle, eyebrows raised. This was more intense than she first thought. Chat Noir was doing well. The two were standing on their feet, moving up and down the path as they attempted to hit each other. Chat always seemed to be lunging to try and reach the wrestling belt around the victim's waist. Even for a civilian, Ladybug noticed that her partner seemed to be growing more and more tired. She gasped as he turned his head to check on her and was pushed down to the floor. Using his baton to push back his opponent, Chat Noir was losing badly. Again.

Meanwhile, Ladybug was frantic. Right now, the only person who made sense to her was Chat Noir, and he was going to get hurt if she didn't do something soon. She jumped over the bush and stood next to where Rememberwrath was slowly reaching towards Chat Noir's ring.

_That must be his Miraculous, _she realised.

The more she watched, the more she absorbed about the situation she was witnessing, the more fear consumed her. There was no doubt about it; she was completely paralyzed with fear.

But something else caught her attention. Amidst the chaos, Chat Noir's green eyes were fixed on her. Once he had her attention, she realised he was trying to say something, trying to help her.

"Yoyo," he mouthed, nodding towards a yoyo that was attached to her strange costume, which Ladybug had yet to question. Taking it in her hand, Ladybug steadied herself and thought of Chat, her supposed partner, who needed her.

_For Chat Noir,_ she thought.

Ladybug threw the yoyo at Rememberwrath. It wrapped around his waist and Ladybug pulled, using all her strength. This sent the victim sailing through the air with a scream. He landed in the Seine with an enormous splash. Ladybug ran to Chat Noir and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" she asked worriedly. He smiled at her, hand over his arm.

"Yes, thank you M'lady," he replied, "now, how about some of your luck to settle this once and for all?"


	8. You choose the ending

**Ok, so this is the moment of truth. This story is nearly ending but I want all of you to choose how it ends. **

**It can either end with a Ladynoir moment.**

**Or...**

**I can turn it into a reveal story.**

**Comment which one you'd rather have and I'll try my best to do a good ending.**

**Thanks!**

"Sorry, my luck, what are you talking about?" Ladybug asked, eyes wide with confusion.

Chat noticed his partner still looked very uncomfortable. Although the circumstances weren't great, it was oddly refreshing for Chat to see this side of his partner. He'd always known her as the strong, confident Ladybug who was fearless and brave, but this was who she was without the mask: nervous and unsure. For Chat to see her now, so dependent on him and vulnerable too, made him love Ladybug more. The fact that she was terrified but put all of that aside to protect him and everyone else in Paris was truly admirable.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug said.

Chat snapped out of his thoughts and realised Ladybug was standing and eyeing him nervously. That, and he'd been staring dreamily at her for the past few minutes. He turned beet red and hoped she hadn't noticed.

"Erm... sorry, hehe. You take your yoyo and throw it in the air. Then, it should give us an item that will help us defeat Rememberwrath. But the catch is we have to figure out what to do with it to save him."

Ladybug was staring at Chat Noir in confusion, not understanding a word of what he'd just said. He chuckled at her as he'd never seen her pull a face like that before.

"Here, let me show you. Although, you were purrfect at it before," he joked, walking over to her.

"You just made a pun?"

Chat grinned at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh yes Bugaboo, it's my thing," he quipped, coming to her side.

Ladybug laughed at him, taking her yoyo in hand. Carefully, Chat moved her hand into position, clawed fingers gently guiding hers. Once she was in the right place, Ladybug turned to Chat Noir, not realising how close he was to her. His face was only a few centimetres from hers as he stood over her shoulder to help her. Time froze, taking a snapshot of their moment like a beautiful scene from a film. The two had locked eyes, lost in each other. Ladybug had no idea who Chat was, but she knew that whatever they had was special, though she didn't remember. It was clear to her that she meant a lot to him, and she smiled.

"Cat got your tongue?" Chat's soft voice joked.

"Wha- nooo, I didn't you- I mean, I don't know what you mean. Well, I, you, we... how do I do this charm thing again?" Ladybug blabbered, very flustered. She quickly turned away and gently tossed the yoyo up and down, adjusting to its weight.

"Just throw it upwards. You'll be fine," Chat laughed, shaking his head.

Ladybug took a deep breath and threw the yoyo into the sky with much more grace than she thought she would be able to muster. The yoyo soared into the air, glowing with a white light that spilled into the air around them. A flurry of ladybirds flew from the yoyo as it reached its climax and spread out across the sky. A jet of bright pink light burst from the yoyo and when it dimmed, in its place was a giant red box, speckled with large black spots. As quickly as it had appeared, the light extinguished and the ladybirds disappeared, leaving the box and the yoyo to fall swiftly back down to where Ladybug and Chat Noir caught them.

In the distance, they heard agonised groans and curses of Rememberwrath. He had surfaced from the water and was slowly climbing from the banks of the Seine, spluttering and coughing up water. They were running out of time. Chat, who had caught the box, set it down on the floor and prised it open. Inside was a marker pen, a bottle of glue and an oddly shaped gold trophy. The pair gave each other confused glances. What on earth were they meant to do with these? Ladybug turned and squinted at the trophy.

"I've seen something like this before. At least it was very similar," she paused for a moment, before her eyes widened in realisation, "ooh, I know! My papa was watching a boxing match on the tv and they were competing to win a trophy like this."

"Maybe that's why he was akumatized, he might have been a boxer! It still doesn't tell us what we need to do. Any ideas M'lady?"

Ladybug paused in thought. After a moment of silent thought, she sighed, a downcast look gracing her features.

"No, I've got nothing. I'm sorry Chat, I've let you down. You're probably better doing this on your own. Maybe the girl you remember was good at this, but I'm not," Ladybug gushed, head in her hands.

"But-" Chat began, but Ladybug cut him off again.

"I can't do anything at all. I'm so worried I'll mess this up for everyone, and I don't even think I'm cut out to be a superhero. I'm sorry I'm not as good as the Ladybug you knew, but I'm just me. I'm just Mar-"

"Don't say your name, please," Chat reminded her.

He wanted to know Ladybug's identity more than anything, but he cared too much to try and find out against her wishes. Apart from anything else, he was very taken aback by what his partner had said. The confident image she portrayed didn't have any cracks in it, but this version of Ladybug did. Her armour was chipped, and Chat could see through her façade. He had no idea she was this unconfident inside. The truth washed over him like an ice-cold tidal wave, brimming with raw emotion. Ladybug had no confidence in herself whatsoever. That explained so much about her. Why she was so serious, not wanting to mess up; why she was so adamant that everything was all her fault in their first fight together and why she never asked Chat to save her- because she didn't want him or anyone else to see how scared she really was. This was something else, even for her. A revelation like this made Chat realize how much he didn't know about his love. The least he could do now was help her though it all and be there to reassure her. He placed a hand on Ladybug's shoulder, and she looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Ladybug. You were chosen because of who you are now. The same with me. And nothing has changed, nothing at all. The Ladybug you don't remember is the girl that I love. She's amazing- brave, talented, kind. And when I see you, when you rescued me earlier, I can see her in you," he confirmed, his eyes boring into hers. A look of understanding, of comfort, "you don't have to do this by yourself. I'll be here for you, wherever we are, whether we remember or not. Because that's what partners do. I made you a promise, that I'd fix things so I could tell you, one day, how I feel, and you trusted me to make it right. You're still trusting me now. So, we'll figure this out. But we can only do it together. I need you, Ladybug, but you have to trust me. Please," Chat Noir begged, giving Ladybug a reassuring smile. Ladybug looked at him, bluebell eyes glistening with tears. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. Without thinking, she threw her arms around her partner. Chat was taken aback at first, but he relaxed to her embrace and hugged her back.

"Thank you Chat," Ladybug said, her voice muffled. She could do this. If Chat believed in her that much, maybe it was time she did too, "I do trust you, I hope you know that."

Chat smiled as they broke apart, making Ladybug blush furiously.

_Pull yourself together Marinette,_ she thought.

"I have an idea, at least I think I do," Chat began, getting everything out of the box.

"Go on."

"What if we use the trophy to lure him here, saying if he beats us at a rematch and he wins, he gets the trophy and our Miraculous. You face off against him and pretend to lose. You give him the trophy, and whilst that is happening, I sneak up behind him and use my cataclysm to destroy the belt. How does that sound?"

Ladybug pondered what he'd just said. The idea of her fighting Rememberwrath terrified her but she did her best to shake off the feeling.

"Sounds good, but surely we must need the other things to defeat him. What about if I..." she trailed off in thought and took the box, removing the lid.

Chat Noir watched in awe as she ripped and folded the box this way and that until she was satisfied with it. Then, she began writing on what she had created. When she stepped back, Chat saw the box had been transformed into a sports podium on which Ladybug had written the numbers one to three. She then took the bottle of glue and proceeded to spread it all over the top stage of the podium. She dusted off her hands and reviewed her creation.

"There, now he won't be able to move when you try to take his belt," she finished, beaming proudly at Chat Noir.

"Purrfect, he's on his way so we haven't got long. Good luck," he said, turning to retreat back to his hiding place.

"Chat Noir."

He spun around.

"I'm terrified. What if it goes wrong?" Ladybug panicked.

"You'll be ok, I promise. I'm right here if anything does happen. You're Ladybug after all," he said with a wink.

Ladybug readied herself; she was prepared for what was about to happen.


	9. What she remembers

**Well, here we are! The final chapter! I want to thank all of you for reading. It's made me enjoy writing this even more, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. **

**A special thanks to SharmClucas, who helped decide the ending to this story!**

**At the risk of sound like an advert, I'm writing another MLB fanfic called **

**'LOVE TO BREAK FREE'** **so if you ship Adrienette, go read that! Thank you again for all your support for this story, I had so much fun creating it. *Cue epic finale*….**

"Ah, Ladybug, glad you've decided to join us again," Rememberwrath drawled as he prowled into view, glaring at the superheroine, "tell me, how does it feel to lose all your memories?"

"Actually, not too bad. Because unlike you I have people by my side that have helped me up keep up to speed. For example, I hear you were the one who took my memories," Ladybug challenged, giving her opponent a fake smile.

"You'd be correct," Rememberwrath answered.

"Well then, I'm prepared to make you a deal. I get the sense you're into boxing. How about we fight, the first one to keep the other down for 5 seconds wins. If I win, you give me my memories back," she began, coming closer to the villain. He folded his arms, a purple butterfly mask flickering to life around his eyes. Ladybug paused; she wasn't prepared for this. No sooner had it appeared, the mask disappeared and Rememberwrath glared at her with a doubtful expression.

"And when I win?"

"_If _you win, you get the boxing trophy that you rightly deserve. And, mine and Chat Noir's miraculous. Do we have a deal?" she asked sweetly.

"Deal."

"Ok then. Ready? Remember, five seconds. That's all," Ladybug reminded, adopting a fighting stance.

Rememberwrath nodded, and they began to circle each other, waiting for someone to make the first punch. Without warning Rememberwrath lunged, but to her surprise, Ladybug was quick to dodge. Clearly, becoming Ladybug gave her lightning quick reflexes. The fight quickened in pace after that: Ladybug occasionally throwing punches and attempting to kick her opponent, Rememberwrath throwing well-aimed hits to Ladybug.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir was crouched behind a bush, begging that Ladybug would be ok. He shook off his thoughts. Of course she'd be fine. It was Ladybug, and that girl was amazing.

Ladybug knew she'd played her part, trying to act as if she was putting her everything into this fight. She also realised that she had to be very careful and not let herself get injured whilst she was being taken down. Rememberwrath swung his leg to try and kick her and she brought both arms to her face, where his leg was headed, to defend herself. She let the force of his kick take her down to the floor, where Rememberwrath saw his moment and seized her arms in an attempt to pin her down. Ladybug closed her eyes in mock defeat and sighed in frustration when Rememberwrath announced that he'd won. He leaned closer to Ladybug menacingly, his terrifyingly white pupils cutting into her soul. Or at least it felt that way. "I win Ladybug. I'll take your miraculous now please. Instinctively, Ladybug used her legs to kick him backwards and spring up. Convinced that this was some sort of trap, Rememberwrath got ready for another fight, which Ladybug returned with another sickly-sweet smile.

"All in good time. But first, we'll give you the trophy. Come up to the podium."

Rememberwrath, pride and ego getting in the way, happily obliged and stood at the top of the podium looking very triumphant. Ladybug approached him with the trophy in her outstretched hands. He eagerly reached out to try and take it, seeming like a little child at Christmas.

Chat Noir knew that this was his chance. Soundlessly, he crept out from his hiding place and fixed his eyes on Ladybug and Rememberwrath. In the next moment, everything happened in a blur or action.

Ladybug held out the trophy to Rememberwrath and just as he leant forward to grab the trophy, Chat lunged for his belt.

"Cataclysm!" he shouted.

His ring began to glow, and a black ball levitated above the palm of his hand, which he then crushed. Black magic seeped around his hand and as soon as his hand was charged, he touched the belt around Rememberwrath's waist. Like a wildfire, the material of the belt turned to black soot and dissolved to the ground. Ladybug gasped, she had never seen anything that powerful in her life. From the pile of soot flew a black butterfly with glowing purple highlights.

"Ladybug," Chat began urgently, nodding towards the akuma. Ladybug eyed it warily, no idea what he was suggesting.

"Oh sorry, I forgot that you, err... forgot," Chat joked with an awkward laugh. He took the yoyo off Ladybug and slid open the front of it like he had seen his partner do countless times before handing it back to her, explaining how to purify the akuma.

Ladybug followed his instructions perfectly, and Chat watched fondly as she waved goodbye to the pure white butterfly that fluttered from her yoyo. As an instinct, she went over to the podium she had made and picked it up, as well as the glue and the marker. She knew she had to throw them back into the air to reverse any damage that had been done, as Chat Noir had explained that to her before.

But she couldn't. Not yet. And Chat Noir had the same thought.

"Ladybug, wait," he said quietly.

Ladybug spun around with a warm smile on her face.

"Chat?" she questioned.

Her partner hesitated, like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't put it into words. Instead, he gazed down at her. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but... not now.

"Ladybug I... I just wanted to spend a few more minutes with you, the civilian you. I'm not sure whether you'll remember any of this when everything goes back to normal, so I just want you to know that I know you doubt yourself, a lot, but you don't have to worry about that with me. And I..." he faltered, voice brimming with emotion.

Ladybug gazed back at him, her eyes pleading him to say something she wanted to hear him say.

"You..." she prompted.

Chat sighed, frustrated with himself.

"And I wanted to say that it's ok to be like that," he finished, looking downcast.

"Thank you for understanding. I can't remember Ladybug, but I have a question about her."

"Ask away, what did you want to know?" Chat asked.

"Do you love her?" Ladybug asked wistfully.

Chat simply closed his eyes and smiled, almost to himself.

"With all my heart."

Ladybug beamed.

"She's lucky to have you. Well, I suppose it was nice to meet you again, Chat Noir."

"You too."

With that, Ladybug threw her lucky charm up into the air and flurries of ladybirds streamed in every direction, replacing cars and returning memories. Chat Noir watched them all, eyes wide. He shifted his weight from side to side as he waited for his lady.

Finally, a loveliness of ladybirds circled around Ladybug, blocking her from Chat's view. Eventually, they disappeared and in their place was Ladybug, who was facing away from Chat Noir. He saw her look to both sides to see where she was, and then clutch her head. To get her attention, he gave a small cough, making Ladybug spin around.

Chat wanted to savour the look on her face for the rest of his life.

Ladybug's expression turned to one of pure exhilaration. The two stood a metre apart, eyes locked. Ladybug was the first one to break the silence.

"You fixed everything," she breathed, a giant smile breaking onto her face.

Chat Noir shrugged, unable to hide his matching smile.

"I promised, didn't I?"

Unable to resist any longer, Ladybug ran to Chat Noir and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. Chat was startled but he returned her embrace. When they broke apart, a Ladybug wore a light blush.

"I told you that I trusted you, but don't go thinking I'm going to let you do my job all the time though," she joked, pushing him gently on the shoulder.

Chat Noir laughed- it was nice to have his Ladybug back.

"Ok ok, but I have to admit, it was nice to see that side of you for a change. You _needed me,_" he teased, smiling triumphantly.

The happy expression melted off Ladybug's face and was replaced by a look of guilt. Nervously, she wrung her hands before forcing herself to look up at Chat Noir.

"About what I said yesterday. I didn't mean any of it, you have to know that."

"I know."

"That, and," Ladybug paused, a slight smile playing at her lips, "thank you for what you said about me not having to worry about being myself," she finished, waiting for him to put the pieces together.

"But... I thought you forgot about everything that happened today. I thought you forgot about me."

Ladybug cupped his face in her hands and whispered to him.

"Never."

It dawned on Chat that if Ladybug remembered what he said...

Oh dear.

Then she remembered _everything _he said.

"So, you remember everything?" he asked nervously.

"Yep. Every word," she replied.

"Oh. Ok. Look, Ladybug, we never know what's going to happen to us in a battle. Something like this, or worse. And I guess, I just want you to know, just in case," Chat started. He and Ladybug were inches apart now. This was it, the moment of truth.

"Ladybug, I meant what I said. I do love you, with all of me. And I need to know, honestly, if you feel the same."

Ladybug searched her partner's face. There was no joking, no silliness or games. He was looking at her earnestly, begging for the truth. The truth? Her truth? Yesterday, she didn't lie. But if she was true to herself, and true to her heart, she knew she'd never get anywhere with Adrien, and today she had proved a lot of things to herself. One being that she did trust Chat Noir with her life, another being that he clearly did love her, and she really did like him for that. Today had been exactly what she needed to wake up her true emotions. This was Chat Noir, someone who loved and accepted both sides of her, and she saw that now. But him asking for the truth? Truth could be a messy thing, depending on who told it. So, Ladybug decided to be serious too. She leaned even closer to her partner, her best friend, and before he registered what she was doing he felt her lips on his. Soft at first, but then as he leant in, she felt his strong arms wrap around her, making her feel safe and she melted into him, kissing him with meaning, with love. They broke apart, Chat staring at Ladybug in amazement and shock.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"Better than that Bugaboo, much better than that," he replied, and kissed her again.

And as they kissed under the setting sun of Paris, both knew they had found that beautiful kind of romance. The kind of romance that makes your heart sing wonderful melodies wherever you go, the kind that makes flocks of angels poke their golden heads from amongst the clouds and begin to hum a chorus of words, the kind that makes all time stop, pauses every clock, in every home, in every country, just to let the sheer romance hang in the air for a moment longer.

You'd say that this was the end of the story. That after this there was nothing else. But you'd be wrong. Because like most other cheesy endings, it was the end of this chapter, but the start of a whole new story.


End file.
